Out of the Slump
by btamamura
Summary: Albert is in a bit of a slump. Can his friends help him out of it? Or is this the end of his inventions?


**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer or the characters._

**Notes: **_**Phew, here's another fic that I've written for this series. This one hit me in my dreams. I know little about mechanics, even less for devices created back in the 1600s, so my descriptions of Albert's inventions might be a little off. Still, I do hope you enjoy this one too!**_

It was too quiet in the workshop. Normally, the sound of tools being used or the scent of food being prepared filled the air surrounding it, but this time, there was nothing.

The Three, excuse me, Four Musketeers became concerned. There was never anything that kept their comrade and brother-in-arms, the fifth musketeer, from coming up with either a new invention or a new recipe for ammunition to use against their enemies. "Come on, gentlemen, we'll go find out what's going on." D'Artagnan led the way into the workshop. There he found the smallest of the musketeers seated at the table, his head resting in his hands. "Albert?"

The petit blond looked over and saw his friends. "Oh, hello there, my friends."

"It's been very quiet in here lately, is something wrong?" Porthos queried.

"Oh no, I'm alright. I'm just going through a bit of a slump."

"That explains why you're down in the dumps, you usually are when you're caught in a slump," Aramis commented.

Albert chuckled slightly, Aramis' habit of rhyming was something he found endearing about one of the men that he'd been beside since his first day as a musketeer. "It will pass, gentlemen. I just need some inspiration, and then I'll be back to work in no time. I'm just unable to come up with more ideas at the moment."

"You're usually the kind to have an idea pretty much every minute of the day. What's stopping you now?" D'Artagnan queried.

"I'm just running out of ideas. I've been thinking about it all day, but nothing has come to mind as of yet. Anything I could come up with now has already been created in the past."

The rest of the musketeers crossed their arms, closed their eyes and hummed in thought. Albert had done so much to help them out ever since joining their squad, it was the least they could do to help him out of his slump.

Half an hour later, no new ideas had been born. Everyone was starting to feel frustrated. Porthos suddenly opened his eyes and turned to Albert. "Instead of focusing on a weapon, think about something you could use around here. There might be something that can help you around here when you're improving your inventions."

Everyone turned to Porthos. It wasn't often he came up with good ideas, but when he did, they made everyone wonder if he was secretly a genius playing dumb. Albert looked around his workshop. "Well, the windows do need some cleaning, but I'm usually too busy to do that. And there could be something to help me keep perfect time of how long I've been cooking the spaghetti so it's the perfect texture."

"Wouldn't an hourglass do that?" Athos questioned.

"Yes, but sometimes it's not accurate enough, and it runs for too long. Maybe I should invent a new form of timer..."

"That's the spirit, Albert!" D'Artagnan encouraged. "Come on, men, we'll leave Albert in peace so he can concentrate."

"We shall leave you to do what you do, but you will show us your work when it's finished, won't you?" Aramis queried.

"But of course, my friends." He watched them exit his workshop, and he set right to work.

There was a sense of peace from hearing the commotion of tools being used in the workshop after days of silence. The other musketeers were glad to know Albert was out of his slump and back to work. They'd noticed he was always happiest when constructing one of his many inventions.

The first device was ready. Albert had constructed a self-cleaning device to wipe down his windows when he was too busy to do so himself. "Now, for the first test." He pushed it to the window facing into the courtyard and set it up to the right height. "Here goes nothing." He pulled the lever, and thanks to the cogs that continued to spin, the device was running on its own. But, it didn't seem to be doing well in wiping down the window. "Hmm...maybe if I push this just a little closer..." He pushed the arm of the device closer to the window, and lo and behold, it was cleaning the window as if it was a human. "Hooray! It worked! Now, I'll leave it running while I focus on the timer, that will be the final test for the window washer." He moved away from it and stepped over to his workbench.

Albert hummed to himself as he sealed the time-keeping device in a firm casing. "This will help keep it safe, so if it were to be knocked onto the ground, it wouldn't fall apart too easily. Okay, if I set it for five minutes, that will be the first test for this device." He turned the knob and waited. "Oh, I'd better see how that window washer is going." He stepped over to the window and saw it was spotless. But, the device was still working. He pulled the lever to stop it. "Well, it helps take some time off from this task. The thing is that I'm going to need to keep moving it to every other window. Well, I am pleased with this device for now. I'll plan on improving it tomorrow. For now, I think it's time to show my friends the results of Porthos' suggestion."

The group of five was gathered in the workshop. "Alright, gentlemen, here are the prototypes for my newest inventions." He looked up at Porthos. "Many thanks for your suggestion, dear Porthos, these devices are exceptionally handy." He turned the knob of the timer. "I've set this for five minutes, the time it should take the window washer to complete its task."

"So, what will happen after five minutes?" Porthos questioned.

"I have a bell in this device that will ring once the time is up. There is a tiny notch on the inside attached to the knob. Once the time is up, it will release a wire connected to the bell." He'd been walking to the window washer while making the explanation. "Alright, and here we go!" He pulled the lever and pushed the arm closer to the window.

The other musketeers were simply amazed at what they were witnessing. "Good old Albert has done it again!" D'Artagnan exclaimed.

Albert's chest puffed out with pride, but a light tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks. "Thank you for the praise, D'Artagnan."

In five minutes, a bell rang from the timer, and Albert switched off the window washing device. "Voila! The window is now spotless!"

The four musketeers applauded their friend's efforts. There was no question that Albert's inventions were always going to be exceptionally handy, whether on the battlefield or in the house. "Many congratulations to you, Albert, your inventions work so well; not just your window washer, but your timer with a bell," Aramis rhymed.

"Thank you, Aramis." He looked at the window washer. "This device is just a prototype though. The way it is at the moment, I will have to constantly take breaks from my work to move the device to the next window. I will have to come up with a way for it to work on its own."

They all knew that such a thing happening was beyond their time, but they also knew that if anybody would be able to pull it off, it was Albert.

"Now then, I know there are a lot more things I could do with around here..."

The sound of more tools being used filled the air for days following, and for that, everyone was relieved.


End file.
